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Hidden Gem Bookstores In Malaysia

List of Bookstores in Malaysia For Every Book Enthusiasts and Bibliophiles Out There

Are you an ardent bibliophile who always has your nose continuously in a book?

Most of us would go to conventional bookstores, but did you know that there a lot of hidden gems of bookstores out there?

Hence, we present to you the bibliophile guide of notable underrated bookstores.

LIT BOOKS

Located at Tropicana Avenue in Petaling Jaya, Lit Books had the origin of its name inspired by the quote “Good books light up our world”.

Min Hun and Elaine, the owners of Lit Book, are a husband and wife duo who were former journalists. They chose the word “Lit” as it can offer different connotations such as illumined or even literacy and literature.

The brains behind Lits Books are avid readers themselves

To represent Lit Book and encapsulate their branding as a whole, a firefly was chosen to be its logo as it signifies the literal meaning of their bookstore.

The owners chose a firefly as their mascot.

They also have a book review section on their website called the Lit Review column where Elaine is the main reviewer with occasional reviews by guests.

Aside from selling books, they also sell literary-themed merchandise and trinkets from the US and UK.

What’s more fun is that the bookstore comes with a boutique cafe called the Lit Bar equipped with Nespresso Coffee and specialty teas!

Next to the Lit Bar situated a spacey working area for people to enjoy their time there.

BOOKALICIOUS!

Avid reader Leon Ngai decided to open up a family business with his wife, Wendy Chow. Leon describes Bookalicious, started in April 2010, as a boutique bookstore selling great books at a competitive price.

Bookalicious front store view shows multiple promotions.

The Bookalicious mascot is a cow named Theodore, along with a dog called Mimi who was inspired by Ngai’s pet poodle.

Leon himself drew the mascot for Bookalicious.

Located at The Summit USJ, Bookalicious caters to book lover from different walks of life ranging from children’s books, young adults, as well as some good old classics.

Finally, Bookalicous fans know that they can rely on Leon’s suggestions of books if they are ever stuck on what kind of reading material they should get.

According to Leon, it is the greatest honour to be given this propriety by his customers.

BookXcess

BookXcess is considered to be the underdog if it was to be compared to its competitors in the likes of MPH or Popular, but this underdog proved to be one the best bookstore you visit in Malaysia.

In addition to becoming one of the main sponsors of the massive book convention “Big Bad Wolf,” BookXcess offers one of the biggest discounts you can get in comparisons to other bookstores, offering up to 50% till 80% discount of the full price.

How did they manage to sell these books at such a low price? Through purchasing the remaining unsold books directly from publishers.

The most noteworthy information is that these books sold by BookXcess are not secondhand, damaged, or old but are brand new titles.

Furthermore, BookXcess recently launched a new store that is open for 24 hours located in Tamarind Square, Cyberjaya that encompasses the theme of a library with a massive amount of 250,000 books.

The wide space of BookXcess store in Tamarind Square, Cyberjaya

The range of books aside, this BookXcess location also offers WiFi connection and plug points for those who wish to work or even do a little bit of studying.

Aside from the one in Cyberjaya, you may also visit the other branches such as the one at Amcorp Mall and Starling Mall situated in Petaling Jaya.

Also, you could opt to go to the one in Farenheit88 in Kuala Lumpur or at Centro Mall in Klang.

The original car park signs were kept to emphasise on the uniqueness of BookXcess Tamarind Square.

Most of all, if you are a fan of secondhand books and just love the smell of a good old book, we would recommend you to drop by these places.

KEDAI BUKU

Yes, you read that right. It’s the witty name of the bookstore.

Apparently, this bookshop has been in existent since 1986. Mr Muru who runs Kedai Buku offers a varied range of pre-loved fictional books with a few selections of travel guides and magazines. And, if you are lucky enough, you might find a hidden stash of new books.

Amongst the bustling area of Central Market, located a recession-proof bookstore called Kedai Buku.

Kedai Buku also offers a book rental program. If you return the book to the shop within a month, you’ll get a refund that equals to the amount you bought it with a small rental charge of RM2-RM3.

It can be seen that the books in the shop lined up from the floor up to the ceiling.

JUNK BOOKSTORE

The most noteworthy point is that this ordinary bookstore located at Jalan Tun H. S. Lee was awarded the title of “Largest Secondhand Bookstore” by Malaysia Book of Records in 1998.

Amongst the hustle and bustle of a city is this rare gem of a secondhand bookstore.

Junk Bookstore is a go-to place for book collectors alike due to the fact that this is the place to find rare first editions, out-of-print books. Moreover, they also sell comics and autobiographies.

Furthermore, the price of the books sold here depends on the customer’s values on it and how much money would they be willing to spend to get their hands on a rare gem of a book. Hence, collector’s edition could be pricier than the normal version.

It is not surprising that Junk Bookstore once managed to sell an RM8,000 book on Malayan History and British Colonial era.

So whether you are a fan of new releases or a fan of musty-smelling secondhand books, there will always be places for bookworms to get their hand on their favourite. Most of all, if you look hard enough, you might find hidden gems that will be worth a keep.

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